You may not realize that a good night’s sleep can benefit your bowel movements, but experts say understanding the connection can help keep things regular.
Not getting enough sleep is tied to constipation, an especially uncomfortable problem that research shows affects around 16 percent of Americans and is chronic for a third of those over the age of 60.
Following a sleep schedule that regulates the body’s circadian rhythms — the internal clock that facilitates the sleep-wake cycle — can aid digestion and ensure you’re not backed up.
Disrupted sleep can mess up the fermentation process in the gut, Dr. Catherine Ngo told EatingWell on Tuesday.
“Sleep and digestion are connected more than you’d think,” she said. “Consistent, high-quality sleep helps the digestive system maintain predictable patterns of motility, which supports regular bowel habits.”
That’s not the only potential problem.
The body’s internal clock is linked to the gut microbiome: the term for the trillions of species of both good and bad bacteria that live in the gut and assist in digestion and immune health.
A healthy gut has more beneficial microbes than harmful ones — though both serve important purposes.
But irregular sleep has been linked to what has been called gut “jet lag,” or a misalignment of that bacteria and the body’s circadian rhythm.
Although the body typically sees an increase in bowel activity when waking, that jet lag may cause constipation.
That imbalance can also make getting to sleep harder, too, according to the Kansas City-based HCA Midwest Health network. The production of the feel-good hormone serotonin could also be impacted, which is a precursor to the sleep-triggering hormone melatonin.
“Poor gut health can inhibit serotonin production, which in turn affects melatonin production. This makes it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep,” the health care center says.
More sleep-deprived nights mean more digestive disruption, Henry Ford Health Dr. Ryan Barish pointed out.
“The longer you are sleep deprived, the more likely it is that you could experience digestive issues,” he said. “It also probably has to do with your resiliency — how healthy you are otherwise, whether you have other medical conditions. But the longer the sleep deprivation goes on, the bigger impact it can have on your gut health.”
So, what can you do to prevent bouts of constipation that may last for days or even weeks?
A relaxed morning can help, according to Ngo.
“If rushed in the morning, you don’t have the time to relax and let the bowels evacuate,” she said.
Otherwise, creating a consistent sleep routine you can stick to on week days and weekends, managing stress through meditation and breathwork, drinking the federally recommended amount of water and eating a gut-friendly diet rich with fermented foods can help.
Just avoid eating too close to bedtime.
“Studies have found that eating high-calorie meals full of carbohydrates and fats less than an hour before bedtime can extend how long it takes you to fall asleep. It also forces your digestive system to work when it's supposed to be resting,” HCA Midwest Health says. “Try to finish your last meal two to three hours before bed to give your body time to digest.”
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